FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – Two books recently published by the University of Arkansas Press were chosen as among the “Outstanding Academic Titles” for 2016. The books are:

• Slavery and Secession in Arkansas: A Documentary History, by University of Arkansas associate professor James J. Gigantino II
• Dethroning the Deceitful Porkchop: Rethinking African American Foodways from Slavery to Obama, edited by Jennifer Jensen Wallach

Choice Reviews, the publishing division of the American Library Association, selects its Outstanding Academic Titles each year, chosen from the many titles reviewed during the year. The books are selected for their “excellence in scholarship and presentation, the significance of their contribution to the field, and their value as important — and often first — treatment of their subject.”

Slavery and Secession in Arkansas is a comprehensive collection of documents that tell the story of Arkansas’ journey from secession to war. The Arkansas Historical Quarterly wrote, “This superb anthology doesn’t cherry-pick, but instead offers readers the entire tree, with generous excerpts of speeches, debates, newspaper commentary, and private correspondence bearing on Arkansas’s decision to secede.” Choice Reviews predicted that “this illuminating book will certainly find an audience among those interested in an honest accounting of the past.”

Dethroning the Deceitful Porkchop is part of the UA Press Food and Foodways Series, and contains 15 essays that explore African American food expressions from slavery up through present, examined from a variety of perspectives. Choice Reviews called the book “Timely and illuminating. These essays set a new standard for food studies. … An exciting read.”

Books in the UA Press Food and Foodways Series illuminate historical and contemporary issues in global food studies. The series is committed to telling lesser known food stories and to representing a diverse set of voices and objectives. The books selected will appear in the January 2017 issue of Choice Magazine. Faculty, staff and students are invited to purchase Slavery and Secession in Arkansas, Dethroning the Deceitful Porkchop, and all other University of Arkansas Press titles online at www.uapress.com. There is a 25 percent discount with the code YOUOFA.